Over the past three days, more cases of amoebic meningoencephalitis and deaths have been reported from across the state, taking the total number of cases reported in Kerala so far this year to 144 with 30 deaths.
Two new PCR-confirmed cases were reported from Palakkad and Kasaragod on Saturday. The Kasaragod case is that of a little girl who had past exposure to a water body in the neighborhood and the species was identified by PCR as Naegleria fowleri, according to health authorities.
The death of a 60-year-old man, a stroke and Parkinson’s disease patient, following amoebic meningoencephalitis was reported from Valiyasala in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
Health officials said it was the second death of a chronically ill person in the past few days. The death of a 70-year-old chronically ill woman due to an amoebic infection was reported last Tuesday from Pothencode in the district
Thiruvananthapuram continues to have the highest number of cases of amoebic infections, with 47 cases and six deaths so far. In the last three days, four cases were reported in the district from Kallara, Kanjiramkulam, Mahadevapuram and Puthenthope.
Health officials said many were atypical cases and that in some cases initial tests for amoebic meningoencephalitis were negative. Although previously, wet microscopy of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples was not routinely performed. Neurologists now sent all CSF samples for wet microscopy along with other standard tests for vascular or infectious causes.
Even the Regional Cancer Center now routinely found cases of amoebae using wet microscopy, officials said.
Although aggressive testing has yielded many cases, early detection also helps save lives, they added.
Published – 25 Oct 2025 23:24 IST
